Having a seriously ill or injured child is one of the great fears of parenthood. Seeing one's offspring, particularly an infant, laying in a hospital bed covered in bandages and surrounded by tubing and medical equipment is a terrible experience. One small thing that can be done to ease the discomfort of such pediatric patients is to create a restraint device which is effective, yet not oppressive in presence or appearance.
Restraints are often placed by hospital personnel on a pediatric or geriatric patient's arms to prevent him or her from pulling at the bandages and surrounding equipment. Many currently available restraint devices cover most of the patient's arm, and are stiff and uncomfortable. A child's skin underneath such devices often becomes sweaty and itchy. Some currently available one-piece restraints are generally cylindrical and have the same circumference at the top and bottom of the device, so the child's arm movements work the device off at the wrist. For that reason, some available two-arm devices have an uncomfortable strap attached to the tops of two cast-like arm restraints which extend over the wearer's shoulders and behind his or her neck. Some cast-like restraint devices extend down over the wearer's hand and have a very uncomfortable thumb hole. Some current restraint devices have string ties which are fastened around the device on the arm. These ties often loosen or untie and must frequently be retied. Many available devices are bulky and hard to put on the child. There is also a need for a restraint device that is easy to put on and take off, and does not slide around on the small arm of a baby. The device of the present invention solves these problems.
The present device is particularly well-suited for use on an infant's arms after cranial, facial or upper body surgery. The device prevents the infant's arm from bending at the elbow. It is particularly useful for infants who have had cleft lip and palate operations to keep the infant or older child from touching or inadvertently pulling out stitches, bandages, oxygen tubes, intravenous devices, and other medical aids. It also keeps the baby from putting objects into its mouth. It may be used for several days or weeks after surgery, and can be removed periodically for cleaning the device or the child. It can also be used on patients who have had eye surgery, tracheotomies, or who have burns on the head, face or upper body, to reduce infections and prevent removal of tubes or bandages.
In addition to post-surgical use, the present device can be used in intensive care units for restraining the arms of injured or ill patients, particularly those who are confused or delirious. It can be used in emergency situations for restricting the movement of frightened children with, for example, foreign items lodged in their eye or nose, or for flushing of small children's ears. The present device can be employed to restrict movement of a sprained or strained knee or elbow, or an arm or leg that has been otherwise cut or injured, for in- or out-patients of various ages. It can be used in the course of physical therapy for supporting the bones and muscles of the legs or arms, or to brace a young child's legs to assist in walking. It can be used to restrain arm or leg movement while X-rays are being taken. It can be used on the arms of children to restrict scratching of rashes such as chicken pox, thus minimizing scarring, or to help prevent thumb-sucking. With the addition of ties or loops on the wrist band, this device can be used on the arms and/or legs of a delirious, senile, or semi-conscious person for restraining him or her in bed in, for example, a hospital, nursing home, hospice or private home.